The invention relates to an assembly for a vehicle, in particular for a rear hatch or tailgate of a vehicle, having a supporting housing, which is to be disposed in an opening in an outer shell of the vehicle. The assembly includes a drive unit, which is attached to the supporting housing, a movably supported camera unit, which is accommodated on the supporting housing and is coupled to the drive unit, in order to be moved between at least a standby position and an active position, in which the surrounding area of the vehicle can be recorded, an actuation element supported on the supporting housing, which is designed such that it can be moved between a standby position that covers the camera unit and an open position, and which is suited for unlocking and/or opening the rear hatch, a mechanical return element, which is coupled to the actuation element, and a support element, which is coupled to the mechanical return element, wherein the mechanical return element exerts a return force that retains or forces the actuation element in the standby position, and is supported on the support element when the camera unit is in the standby position.
This assembly has a two-fold function, in that it is designed to open a door, tailgate or hatch of the vehicle, on one hand, for which the actuation element is provided, which is supported on the supporting housing. On the other hand, the assembly also serves to record images of the surrounding area of the vehicle, as is essential for a safe parking in reverse. This is because the rearview mirrors only provide the vehicle driver with an insufficient observation range, because the rearview mirrors do not allow for a view of the so-called blind spot. By means of a camera unit, images can also be displayed on a screen disposed inside the vehicle, of regions that cannot be viewed by the vehicle driver with the rearview mirrors, such that the vehicle driver has a nearly complete overview of the surrounding area into which the vehicle is to move when parking in reverse.
Assemblies of this type comprise a supporting housing, in which the camera unit is accommodated such that it can move between a retracted standby position and an active position. By way of example, camera units of this type are used, as mentioned above, in the field of parking assistance for vehicles. If, for example, the vehicle is shifted into reverse, the camera unit is moved from the standby position into the active position. As a result, images of the surrounding area behind the vehicle are recorded and displayed on a display screen for the driver. If the parking in reverse is completed, and the driver shifts out of the reverse gear, the camera can be moved from the active position back into the standby position.
An assembly of the type referred to in the introduction and described above is known, for example, from DE 10 2006 039 192 A1, and comprises an actuation element designed to open a door or hatch, and a camera unit, which is designed to record images of the exterior region of a vehicle. The actuation element is coupled to a mechanical return element in this assembly. The return element applies a return force to the actuation element, by means of which the actuation element is retained or forced in its standby position. The actuation element thus moves automatically back into its standby position with the aid of the return element, in which position it covers the camera unit. In addition to the effect of the automatic return, an undesired rattling of the actuation element while driving is prevented by the return force of the return element. With this known prior art, the actuation element is moved from its standby position into its actuation position with the aid of the camera unit or the drive unit, in that, when the camera unit is moved form the standby position into the active position, the actuation element is simultaneously displaced. The drive unit must therefore be capable of exerting a greater force than the return force, in order to be able to move the actuation element out of its standby position. It should be noted thereby that, due to the function of the actuation element serving to open, the return force cannot only be dimensioned for preventing the rattling noise. On the contrary, is it necessary, for safety reasons, to select the return force to be great enough that the actuation element is retained in the standby position, and does not move unintentionally into the open position, even in the case of high centrifugal forces, which may prevail, for example, in the event of a vehicle accident, in which position it unlocks a door or hatch of the vehicle, or can even open said door or hatch. The drive unit must work against this high return force, such that for an assembly of this type, a large and powerful drive unit is necessary. This is accompanied, however, with the disadvantage that a drive unit of this type requires a relatively large installation space, and also has a high power consumption, for moving the camera unit from its standby position, against the return force that acts on the actuation element, into the active position.
The invention addresses the object of creating a solution that creates an assembly for a vehicle in a structurally simple manner, which can be produced inexpensively, and with which the disadvantages specified above are eliminated. In particular, an assembly should be provided, which is distinguished by a small installation space, and which can be powered with low energy, or which can be operated in an energy efficient manner.